HS Comments on the Fly

My daughter and I are reading For the Love of Venice together separately. I got it just for the Venice info, but it has some info on the MOSE project, which is a bonus.

In case you don’t happen to be familiar with the MOSE project (which I wasn’t until we recently saw a Discovery Channel show), it has as its goal the saving of the lagoon that surrounds Venice, Italy, by the strategic placement of barrier walls and floodgates. I think this paper, in .pdf format, probably explains the problem and the proposed solution the best — and with some illustrations.

I’m on page 72 of For the Love of Venice and so far we’ve got

• a main character who is high school boy (a senior) w/younger brother, mom, dad
• a main character who is a U.S. citizen visiting Venice for summer
• a dad who is a civil engineer working on the MOSE project
• a mother who is spacey artist
• a short discussion of subsidence of Venice and floodgates
• a short discussion of pollution of the lagoon
• description of life in Venice
• a girl in ice cream store who is probable romantic interest
• some graffiti and intrigue

So far, I think For the Love of Venice is fairly good. If you’ve got a trip to Venice in your future or you need an interesting novel to help with geography class, your children might enjoy it. It definitely gives the reader a feel for the place, and if you have a guidebook handy, you can look the places up on a map.

Physical Education usually means a bit of physical activity of some sort. We’ve done all sorts of stuff and called it P.E.

Let’s see …

• tree climbing
• swimming at the local pool (regrettably we don’t have one in the backyard)
• biking over to soccer (European football) lessons
• soccer (see above)
• having folks over to play a baseball game or just tossing it around w/each other
• Tae kwon do lessons
• shooting hoops out in front of the house
• walking
• jogging
• archery
• badminton
• preparing for a mountain hike by carrying sacks of sugar in backpacks and walking 2 miles daily for a month
• yoga
• sailing
• chopping wood
• free weights
• home weight bench
• stationary bike in living room w/TV turned up loud
• tossing a football around
• skating
• sledding
• snowboarding and skiing

I’m sure there have been other things, but what I actually have a photo of is from one of our canoe trips. And of course, canoeing counts for P.E. class.

On one of the trips, we visited the area known as the White Cliffs area of the Missouri River. It’s located in the part of the country previously owned by both Spain and France. The U.S. government was offered this section of the country by Napoleon. You can read the story of its purchase in Rhoda Blumberg’s book titled What’s the Deal? Jefferson, Napoleon, and the Louisiana Purchase — a fine book, published by National Geographic.

We set in at Coal Banks and got out a few days later at Judith Landing. If you look at this map (http://www.trailadventures.com/images/ta_map-inset_lrg.gif) the portion of the Missouri River I’m referring to is highlighted in yellow on the right of the map. Lewis & Clark, the famous explorers of the Louisiana Purchase, traveled along this same stretch of the Missouri River in the early 1800s, though they were going upstream and we went downstream. We did this with a couple of other families with our own canoes, though you can get a tour company to take you on a guided tour for about $325 per person per day. ::cough, choke:: I imagine that our trip cost us around $325 for all 4 of us for 3 or 4 days (can’t remember how long it took). But we did already have a water purifier and camping gear (tents, sleeping bags, gas cookers, life jackets, etc.) which kept our costs down. Gas was much cheaper then also. I think my husband bought a new, and quite technologically advanced, canoe paddle. Oh, here’s another tour company that provides trips for about $665 per person w/guide for three days.

	Canoers Paradise - White Cliffs of Upper Missouri River

Anyway, the picture is the view from our camp the first night. It looks just like this painting of William Clark found here. I guess the location is Eagle Creek. All I know is that there was no way out except by walking or continuing on in the canoes at this point. Our cell phones didn’t have service, so we were seriously cut off from civilization. As a worry-wart mom, this was not very comforting to me, and I was able to imagine all sorts of medical emergencies that might plague us — rattlesnake bite at the top of the list. I do believe that cell towers have been put up in the area since we went through there.

As I already mentioned, this stretch of the Missouri River is called the White Cliffs. It’s well known, but I didn’t know it at the time. I did know it was protected, though. President Clinton made this area a national monument as one of his last acts in office.

The Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument contains a spectacular array of biological, geological, and historical objects of interest. From Fort Benton upstream into the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, the monument spans 149 miles of the Upper Missouri River, the adjacent Breaks country, and portions of Arrow Creek, Antelope Creek, and the Judith River. The area has remained largely unchanged in the nearly 200 years since Meriwether Lewis and William Clark traveled through it on their epic journey. (source)

I didn’t keep a diary of the trip, but I’ll link to a few at the end of this entry. I remember that it was a little chilly considering it was summer, and I was glad that we took jackets along. We ate lots of Chex Mix, granola bars, and dried fruit (but no dogs, as did some one the L&C expedition — [Clark, October 11, 1805]). We paddled along by moonlight one night. We saw a beaver and heard it do a tail flap. We had a good breeze for a while and a few of the guys tied our canoes together and fashioned a sail out of a tarp, rope, and a few canoes. It kept hitting some of us in the head. Delightful. Once we were out and packed up, we ate a sumptuous dinner at Pizza Hut at the closest town.

Trip Diary in .pdf, best photos most resembling our trip except we took our trip later in the year and the water levels were markedly lower.

Trip Diary

Trip Diary

Trip Diary

Trip Diary

	Miami, Quito, Santiago, Calama

Just a few, quick, non-grammatically correct comments on my favorite TV show.

Drew got altitude sickness during the pit stop. And their team (Kevin and Drew) was eventually eliminated at the end of the episode

Charla and Mirna were paying a taxi driver to lead them to the Valley of Death. The Beauty Queens were behind them, following. But Charla or Mirna (sadly, I don’t know which is which) got a little miffed and pulled over and both Charla and Mirna made it clear to the Beauty Queens, who also pulled over, that they should have to pay for half of the taxi driver’s expenses ($100). The Beauty Queens just thought Charla and Mirna were loco and then left. So, that was a bit of confrontation.

The teams are still in South America. They traveled to Santiago, Chile, and then to a mine. Here’s what my hernia-inducing atlas states about the copper mine:

Chuquicamata copper mine lies on a desert plateau near Calama in the Andes of northern Chile. It is the world’s largest open-pit copper mine.

The teams had to choose between two tasks at the copper mine. 1) replace about 40-60 lug nuts and washers on a gigantic tire or 2) use a back hoe to move a specific amount of gravel. The Kentucky team was sloppy with the nuts and ended up last or nearly last. Charla and Mirna were again rather dramatic, which is supposedly the key to good TV.

Rob & Amber and Oswald & Danny were in last and next-to-last places early in the show because their flight was delayed, but they ended up placing second and first. Rob and Amber … okay, mostly Rob, is such a character. Do you remember him from one of the Survivor seasons? I started watching (that season) in the middle when Rob was just causing strife. He was easy to dislike, but when he came back for Survivor All-Stars, he was so likable and has remained so ever since. But he admitted this episode of TAR that he purposely stirs the pot. I think he said to Amber, “There’s a method to my madness.” If he didn’t say that, it was something like that … you know, that there’s always a purpose to his acting like a jerk. Anyway, so Rob and Amber each won a dirt bike or something like that for coming in first.

Let’s see … any other “must mentions?”

I have no recollection of Teri and Ian. I’ve watched most of the episodes from each season, but Teri and Ian are making me fear the dreaded Alzheimer’s.

Oh, and Drew almost ran over Kevin. That was the craziest thing. Kevin strapped himself up and tried to drag their 4WD vehicle out of the mud. You know … by manpower. I thought for sure Drew was going to drive right over the top of Kevin as Kevin pulled on the front of the car while Drew revved the engine.

Next week, see Danielle scream bloody murder about picking up a small ray (fish). She totally freaks out.

I’ve been recently trying to get a quilt put together and onto a frame, so that when I do sit down and watch something on TV, I won’t feel like such a slacker. I’ll be trying to get 8-10 stitches per inch while I prick my middle finger into hamburger. (quilter’s joke - ha) Yes, that will be much better than just sitting there.

So while I’ve been sewing on the borders, basting, and such, I’ve had shows on. Yes, multiple shows because I’m a novice quilter and I’m slow! One show that I enjoyed was misnamed King Arthur’s Britain. I haven’t the foggiest notion why it was titled that because the appellation (not, Appalachian) is not apt. It must have been some sort of ill-thought-out marketing scheme. So if you watch it, don’t expect an in-depth analysis of King Arthur’s rule.

Here’s what the back of the case states:

… British archaeologist … Francis Pryor disputes the belief that Britain reverted to anarchy after the Romans left in 410 A.D., sinking into the Dark Ages until the Anglo-Saxon invaders restored order. The truth he says is far more complicated.

In this three-part series, he uncovers the continuous culture that was not destroyed by outside invaders but rather strengthened by them. Travel with him as he makes ancient history come alive at the scenes of bloody battles and key archaeological sites that reveal the clues to this new view of early Britain.

So, you see, it’s about that time between the years A.D. 410 and A.D. 597 which is considered the Dark Ages in Britain, when history closes its doors and permits no peeping Toms. But Francis Pryor (since he’s not named Tom) dares to question the historical powers that be and decides that “These were not the Dark Ages.” I think Francis Pryor does quite a good job of it.

I know that when we were studying Rome and Early Britain (at multiple different times through out the years of homeschooling, mind you) that I often called it the Dark Ages and said things like, “The Romans picked up their toys and went home, leaving the early Brits without anything to prop their society up with.” But Francis Pryor basically puts that myth to rest and says, “It’s time to start re-writing the history books.”

That’s a big deal — particularly if he’s correct. Pryor gives example after example of Roman society in Britain going on after A.D. 410. Yes, he believes that the British had a Roman society after the Romans left because that’s what everyone was — Roman. The locals had been Romanized during the years of Roman rule.

Pryor travels from Cornwall (extreme southwest) up to Hadrian’s Wall (up north, near border with Scotland) and points in between, showing us all sorts of examples of life during the 5th and 6th centuries in England. He shows us sites and then the artists come in and do a visual reconstruction for us showing us how it would have looked during Roman times. This happens a number of times and is fascinating. Pryor also takes us to an area where the Lady in the Lake may have had influence and describes a system of warrior traditions which included throwing swords into the lakes. He also travels to Sutton Hoo and tramps around a bit there. If anyone is interested in “Dark Ages” Britain, this DVD is worth a watch. Netflix lends it out or you can buy it through Amazon.

I would guess that this is a DVD for parents who will be teaching Roman Britain — so that they may adjust their views of Roman and Dark Ages Britain if they feel the need to do so. It would also be a good addition to a high school world history course or British history course if the student enjoys this era. The visuals are really well done; this is an entertaining DVD.

Considerations: These ideas are only one man’s point of view. His views on the Anglo-Saxon invasions, for lack of a better term, are not as convincing to me as his anti-Dark Ages argument is. But at the high school level, this type of DVD can lead to further study or make for good discussion.

I can’t figure out how to embed the .swf file, so I’ll just point you to the online map. It’s the Imperial History of the Middle East, showing who has ruled the Middle East for the past 5000 years. And it does it visually in 90 seconds.

My big question: Is it now more proper to call Alexander’s empire the Macedonian Empire instead of the Greek Empire? Alexander was Macedonian.

Now, I’m going to go see what other maps Maps of War have got for us to look at.

HT: That Girl Tasha

THE AMAZING RACE!

The Amazing Race starts on Sunday evening on CBS. It’s an “all stars” show, with teams from past seasons competing.

If I can’t find one of our older atlases to plot the racers’ route on each week, then I will have to go find a good world map online. It will have to be detailed though. (If you see one, let me know!)

I am not sure which team to cheer for. I like a number of the teams, but some I don’t even remember. I think the most unique team is the team that is made up of one of the Frat Boys and one of the Pinkies. Good idea. I wonder if Rob and Amber will have the perfect luck they had up until the last leg of the race like last time.

Anyway, Wikipedia is a good place to keep up with what’s happening each week. I love the table. Plus the game is completely explained there.

We are hoping to go to Italy someday. Rome wasn’t initially on the list — c’mon, everyone goes there, so it’s rather passé — but my life partner insisted. So, a while back, we started our homeschool list of what we must experience in Rome.

The Trevi Fountain, is, of course, on the list. It’s pretty much an imperative. You see, according to a legend, if you throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, then it’s guaranteed that you will return to Rome. So, of course, the Trevi Fountain is on our Roman “to do” list. Here’s a few of the others “must dos” while I’m at it:

• Mouth of Truth (you know, where Gregory Peck “lost” his hand in Roman Holiday) We’re going to go tell lies and half-truths there and giggle like mindless school girls … well, two of us will.
• Spanish Steps
• Forum
• Romulus and Remus w/wolf
• Colosseum
• Arch of Titus
• Appian Way

But back to the Trevi Fountain — here’s a link to a photo. You see that’s Neptune up there in the shell. The shell is being pulled by “seahorses” guided by Tritons. I still haven’t seen what kind of stone is used in the sculpture. (marble)

You may wonder why I’m looking up stuff about the Trevi Fountain today when our trip is such a far-distant pipe dream. It’s because the coin my daughter intends on tossing in is a 1995 Chuck E. Cheese token. It may seem of little value, but besides a bit of sentimentality, you can still play a game of Skee Ball with it. I think behind her idea of throwing a Chuck E. Cheese coin, though, is a certain disdain for silly superstitions — in a way, laughing at the legend while still honoring it.

But still, we must know if that type of coin is allowed. She can’t be like totally tempting the Fates (or whoever is in charge of the legend — maybe Neptune?) by tossing the wrong kind of coin in the fountain. Maybe Chuck E. Cheese is considered anathema or something. That type of faux pas could make a return to Rome impossible. Duh.

So, I’ve rummaged around the internet for an unimpeachable source of the legend. I don’t think I’ve found one, but every source indicates “coin.” It sounds like any ol’ coin will do. None of the sources suggest the need for the coin to be Italian or worth at least 5 cents or be usable … you know, a current coin. Conceivably, I could toss my old coin with Constantine on it from the south Balkan region into the fountain and that would be good enough to ensure my return to the Eternal City. (You, too, can have an ancient coin — see border, bottom right.)

However, I found out that the Trevi Fountain is cleaned every night to the tune of $4000 in change. The money is given to the poor of Rome or rather a charity who helps the poor. You’d think that $4000 a day could easily completely support 30 families a month. Wow. So, that Chuck E. Cheese coin wouldn’t help the poor; and as a result, we are faced with a moral dilemma of sorts.

I learned this from WikiTravel:

According to popular superstition and custom, throwing coins with one’s right hand over one’s left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain is a practice endowed with good luck. Throwing one coin ensures that the thrower will return to Rome; throwing two coins will ensure that the thrower will fall in love with a beautiful Roman girl (or handsome boy); throwing three coins, finally, ensures that the thrower will marry that girl or boy in Rome itself.

Guess which part I’m not mentioning to my daughter? If my grandchildren lived in Rome, I’d have a terrible time getting to see them more than once every couple of years. That would be tragic, though I wouldn’t be abused as a babysitter, would I?

So, we’re to hold the coin in our right hand and toss it over our left shoulder. Another supposed requirement is that we must have our back to the fountain.

One site stated that we could drink the water instead of throwing a coin, but newer web sites say, “No way!” I guess the water is now chemically treated (a type of poisoning, I suppose). Along with the practical drinking advice, there’s plenty of history in this web page.

Look here for lots of comments and photos and more photos.

Watch people throw coins into the Trevi Fountain on YouTube.com. Even that actor guy — John Bongiovi — has thrown a coin into the Trevi Fountain.

Trivia Question: Why might those who are pursuing classical education through their homeschooling be interested in the Trevi Fountain?

Trevi is the corruption of trivium (Latin for “three-way junction”): once three main roads converged in the middle of the district, on a spot now corresponding to piazza dei Crociferi, whose shape is still vaguely reminiscent of the original crossing. (source and another)

Trivial, yes?

Should I take a road trip using this map?

Well, I don’t think I will because it’s a little impractical since this is the new shower curtain in the guest room bathroom. Oh, I know you’re wonder why I buy such junk for the guest room … well, it’s because I ran out of money after buying the new sheets, blankets, and fluffy gi-normous towels. So while the shower curtain is cheap, at least it’s soap scum free.

But that map. How funny. Yeah, I’m always thinking, “Here I am in Sacramento, California. I’m thinking I’ll take a trip down to New York, New York.” That’s lucid.

I think the only thing correct on that map is that I-80 actually does connect Sacramento with New York. Chicago being located northwest of Des Moines (uncapitalized, btw)??? Yeah, something is definitely rotten in the state of Denmark.

So, geography. How to learn it? They say that most people are geographically illiterate. I’m not sure we’re properly filled with geographical genius, but I’ll share some of what we’ve done over the years in our homeschool - the stuff I can remember.

1. We’ve had maps, historical and current, on placemats and/or covered with contact paper and affixed to the tabletop.

2. Maps on the wall. Even in the living room.

3. A large framed map that can lean against the armoire during school hours. Two-sided, with the world on one side and the U.S. on the other.

4. A globe on a stand in the living room - great for spinning around and seeing where your finger lands. We’ve also had two different inflatable globes which means we can throw it around and not risk hurting each other or the furniture … too much.

5. When reading aloud, which we have done just about every day, we used one of the laser pointers to point out the places mentioned in the book. Examples: Around the World in 80 Days - we had a piece of posterboard tacked to the wall that listed all the locations visited and then we would use our laser pointer to point to each location as the other read the list and checked to make sure that the pointer was correctly placed. We also did this with Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (who went from the East Coast of the U.S. to Europe, around Africa and over to the Orient somewhere - I can’t remember where because it was probably 8 - 10 years ago) and also He Went With Vasco Da Gama. This method would work with any book with traveling characters, whether it be about Lewis & Clark, Marco Polo, Captain Cook, Henry Morgan, Mozart, Cyrus the Great, Hannibal, Richard the Lionhearted.

6. Make a salt dough map. Each of the kids did Mexico when we were reading one of Henty’s books. It was the one about Moctezuma. I do not recommend it for history class, though Hentys are fine for pleasure reading.

7. We draw on maps. Once when reading about the transcontinental railroad, the kids drew a train, tracks, and a golden spike. They placed the tracks on the map as we read through the book and the tracks met in northern Utah. Then they put the stake on the map. We kept the map up on the wall for a few more months.

8. Map puzzles. I bought 2 U.S. puzzles to facilitate races. We also have at least one world map.

9. Once before a road trip, I bought each child a AAA road atlas and a few highlighters so that they could trace our trip in the atlas. The road atlases were saved for following trips. They did lose interest in a year or two, but it was great fun while they enjoyed it.

10. We have traced the routes of the Amazing Race. I still enjoy looking up all the places in an atlas. It’s easier to do if you tape it and then do the map work the second time you watch it.

11. We use historical atlases. We have probably 6 or 7 of these. You can buy historical atlases for different areas of the world. It’s sometimes shocking to see how areas change over the decades or centuries. The names of countries and seas change, too, which baffles my mind at times. Like the Caspian Sea being previously called the Sea of Hyrcania, which we had to figure out on our own because the book we were reading didn’t give much of a clue where that sea was. It was a mystery. BookCloseOuts.com used to have some great deals on historical atlases.

12. We have used computer programs. We had a program from Torpedo Software that we used to use a lot. We bought it back before there was a Windows version of it - that old! We also used World Discovery Deluxe from Great Wave Software. I don’t think either are available anymore. We still use our GeoSafari LapTop now and then. It’s a bit fun. And it does help to learn all the capitals in Africa, etc. Some may wonder why that’s important - well, maybe it’s not important. I just want to be able to discuss stuff with my children. If I say, “Khartoum,” I want them to know that I’m talking about the Sudan or at least have a nebulous idea that it’s in the Sahara. I know at least one of my students is familiar with the Sahel. Maybe no so important to the average U.S. citizen, but still information that may come in handy someday.

Other ideas that could possibly be fun:

1. Take a world map to the zoo and mark where the flamingos, rhinos, camels, etc., are from. Usually the zoo has that info on the little sign next to each exhibit. I think this would only be fun if you go to the zoo once a month and you only dig out the map once in a while. But it depends on your students.

2. Stamp collection. I had one of these as a child and often looked up the places. You get stamps from around the world by buying them in cheap, large lots. You don’t have to have a pen pal to get stamps from all over the world.

3. Travel. Read a book about an event, say, the London Fire of 1666 and then visit Pudding Lane and climb all 311 steps of the Monument which commemorates the rebuilding of the City after the fire. Actual travel is probably the absolute best way to learn geography, although it’s probably not practical to expect to be able to visit more than a couple of hands full (how in the world do you write that?) of countries during your students’ school years.

Regrets: I was a little too “don’t mess that up” with our two big world atlases. They both sat in the living room, but I didn’t allow free access. I should have. Who cares if it gets ruined as long as it is used? We can buy/find another. That should have been my attitude from the beginning. Now, it’s too late; my students are no longer six years old and forming their habits. We had lots of little atlases, though, that they had access to through their early years. But if I had it to do over again, I’d probably get us all our own atlas and encourage treating them like atlases instead of crystal.

We gave up on Mila 18. I don’t get it. Twenty years ago I liked it and have fond memories of reading it. But blech. My daughter and I are both just not feeling it.

So we switched to Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving, who named the New York Knicks, btw. (proof, more proof, absolute proof)

Anyway, we’re still in the introduction, regrettably. Let’s hope we move past it soon as I’m getting a bit bogged down and so is the other reader. We’ve gone on to look up Irving in a few American literature textbooks that I store downstairs. They’ve given us a bit of background and told us that he was the first “American author.”

So far, Washington Irving, who actually did visit Andalusia, is traveling from Seville to Granada with a few fellows. He’s meeting people along the way and using a few Spanish words here and there that we’re trying to learn. He also uses a few English words that we’re not familiar with — some we look up if we’ve remembered to fetch a dictionary off a shelf before we get cozy in our respective cozy spots. We drink coffee-laced cocoa and snuggle under blankets, with the fire crackling in the background. We try to stump each other with questions from the text as we read along - it makes us pay attention and is fun for us (and is a sneaky form of review that I started many years ago). We also look up towns along the way in our respective atlases — many of them haven’t changed since … uh-oh … I think it was written in the early 1800s. I’ll check. The introduction states, “In the spring of 1829….”

We’re reading it because we’re supposed to be traveling to see the Alhambra in the next few years, once we’ve saved up something like 500,000 pennies. But that’s not exactly the point. Tales of the Alhambra is reputed to be “literature,” yet I can’t find any online study guide for the book. The Cliffs Notes web site doesn’t have it listed at all. I guess it’s not one of the popular literature books these days — not controversial or popular enough maybe.

I did find it on one homeschooling book list: PNEU. I’m not sure if it’s in The Well-Trained Mind. I just checked; it’s not — only Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. It’s not on the Sonlight list. It could be on other homeschooling lists, but I can’t keep up with all of them.

Here’s one excellent excerpt:

Such were our minor preparations for the journey, but above all we laid in an ample stock of good-humour, and a genuine disposition to be pleased; determining to travel in true contrabandista style; taking things as we found them, rough or smooth, and mingling with all classes and conditions in a kind of vagabond companionship. It is the true way to travel in Spain. With such disposition and determination, what a country is it for a traveller, where the most miserable inn is as full of adventure as an enchanted castle, and every meal is in itself an achievement! Let others repine at the lack of turnpike roads and sumptuous hotels, and all the elaborate comforts of a country cultivated and civilised into tameness and commonplace; but give me the rude mountain scramble; the roving, hap-hazard, wayfaring; the half wild, yet frank and hospitable manners, which impart such a true game-flavour to dear old romantic Spain!

Not just in traveling, but in everyday life, having a genuine disposition to be pleased, is the way to go. The whole excerpt is a great motto to travel (or live) by.